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Rebel Wilson is finding herself in hot water with The Deb‘s Charlotte MacInnes!

The 45-year-old actress and producer previously made some serious accusations about the producers of The Deb. It seems like those accusations aren’t the end of Rebel‘s legal trouble relating to the movie.

Entertainment Weekly has obtained legal documents filed by Charlotte, the lead actress in the musical, against Rebel. According to the documents, Charlotte is accusing the director of defamation for naming her in the previous lawsuit.

Keep reading to find out more…

EW reports that Rebel had previously claimed that Charlotte was the victim of misconduct by a producer of The Deb. When Charlotte denied the misconduct, Rebel accused her of “changing her story” in order to be cast in another of the producer’s projects.

According to the filing, Charlotte alleges that Rebel harmed her reputation by naming her in false accusations...

Rebel Wilson has been accused of defamation by an actress in The Deb, her directorial debut that has become embroiled in a messy legal saga.

An attorney representing Charlotte MacInnes — who plays a teenager attending a debutante ball in The Deb — has written to Wilson, arguing that the Australian star damaged her reputation in a series of Instagram posts between September 2024 and July 2025.

Among her social media claims, Wilson alleged that MacInnes changed her story about being sexually harassed by The Deb producer Amanda Ghost after she was cast in Boston stage show Gatsby and was offered a record deal.

Wilson also claimed that MacInnes lied by denying that she had made a complaint to Wilson about unwanted sexual advances made by Ghost during production.

In the “concerns notice,” the first stage of defamation proceedings in Australia, Giles George lawyer Patrick George wrote: “The publications carried seriously defamatory imputations damaging...

Skydance Media has closed its $8bn merger with Paramount, creating a company under the moniker Paramount, a Skydance Corporation.

Paramount will now be restructured into three divisions: studios, direct-to-consumer and TV media, in an effort to set up what Skydance Media CEO David Ellison has called a “leaner, faster, smarter, and more agile company”.

Ellison will serve as Paramount chairman and CEO, while Jeff Shell, former CEO of NBCUniversal, is president.

This follows the US government’s approval of the merger on July 24.

Ellison said in an open letter: “Today marks Day One of a new Paramount. With the close of the transaction,...

Australian director and actor Rebel Wilson has been put on notice for further legal action, this time in a defamation case brought by Charlotte MacInnes, the Australian star of beleaguered comedy The Deb, the feature directorial debut of Wilson.

MacInnes has today (August 7) served Wilson with a concerns notice, the first step in initiating defamation proceedings in Australia. Wilson will have 28 days to respond to the notice, including offering amends – such as a correction or apology – before formal legal action is taken.

Wilson has previously accused MacInnes of lying when she denied being sexually harassed by a producer of The Deb,...

Rebel Wilson is facing another lawsuit filed against her by the producers of her new movie, The Deb, which is also her directorial debut.

Producers from the U.K. film company, AI Film, filed a lawsuit against Wilson in the New South Wales Supreme Court. They claimed that Wilson has been spreading false accusations about the company, causing “financial and reputational damage” to the company.

The actress, 45, has made insulting comments about the producers, including accusing The Deb’s lead actress, Charlotte MacInnes, of wearing a culturally inappropriate outfit in Cannes.

In response to the second lawsuit, Wilson wrote on her Instagram story, “Apparently I’m being sued in Australia?”

In a slew of Instagram stories, Wilson said that the lawsuit contains accusations of “bullying and harassment” from AI Film producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden.

“They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and...

Actress and director Rebel Wilson has responded to the latest lawsuit regarding her directorial debut, 'The Deb', dismissing the idea that she is deliberately blocking the film's release as "complete nonsense" while posting a clip from the project on social media.

The post ‘It makes no sense’: Rebel Wilson hits back amid fresh lawsuit surrounding ‘The Deb’ appeared first on If Magazine.

The production company behind Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, has stepped into the legal battle over the film’s release, accusing the actress of blocking a distribution deal with the intent of buying the rights to the musical herself.

In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Australia, AI Film alleges a prospective distributor withdrew its offer after Wilson threatened to sue to prevent the movie from coming out. It claims breach of contract and seeks unspecified damages, as well as an apology and a court order preventing Wilson from continuing to make allegedly false statements about misconduct by the film’s producers.

Last year, Wilson said that she had reported the producers when she “found out not minor things, big things” related to “inappropriate behavior towards the lead actress of the film,” Charlotte MacInnes, and theft of movie funds. The producers, in turn, sued for defamation, saying that...

Rebel Wilson is facing a new lawsuit over her embattled directorial debut, The Deb, with one of the production companies involved claiming she “deliberately undermined” the film’s release, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The new suit filed in Australia was brought by AI films, a U.K.-based production company that owns the rights to The Deb alongside Wilson’s Camp Sugar. It’s the latest salvo in a legal battle that kicked off last summer when Wilson accused a group of producers on The Deb — Amanda Ghost,...

UK-based AI Film has accused the actor of deliberately sabotaging The Deb’s release by making alleged threats and defamatory claims

The legal drama surrounding The Deb, Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, has made landfall in Australia, with one of the production companies behind the venture filing a lawsuit against Wilson in the New South Wales supreme court this week.

UK-based AI Film, represented by Australian legal firm Giles George and high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou Sc, accused the Pitch Perfect Australian actor of deliberately sabotaging the film’s release, alleging threats and defamatory claims had caused the production company financial and reputational damage.

Watch a video of Beetlejuice Australia star Karis Oka singing "Dead Mom" as part of the musical's Australian premiere! Oka will star in the Melbourne production as Lydia Deetz, opposite the musical's composer, Eddie Perfect, in the title role. The musical phenomenon will depart Australia on September 11. The production will tour to Abu Dhabi in November 2025, and Singapore in January 2026. Oka is a familiar face to Australian audiences having starred in the original Australian production of Six, the return season of Fangirls and the Australian premiere of Ride The Cyclone. On screen she has been seen in the hit Sbs series Erotic Stories, Girl At The Window, Stan’s Population: 11 and opposite Rebel Wilson in The Deb. As a Melbourne exclusive, the production stars <a...

Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to Jonathan Hensleigh’s action thriller “Ice Road: Vengeance.” Starring Liam Neeson, Fan Bingbing and Marcus Thomas, the sequel to 2021’s “The Ice Road” is set for release in select theaters on June 27 and on demand on July 1.

Hensleigh, the writer of “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995) and co-writer of “Armageddon” (1998), has returned to direct the sequel from his own script, which follows big rig ice road driver Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) as he travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide (Fan Bingbing) encounter a group of Nepali mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers and the local villagers’ homeland. The film was previously known as “Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky.

Rebel Wilson is clearing the air after social media posts about The Deb made headlines amid the ongoing legal fight surrounding the movie.

In response to video of The Deb actress Charlotte MacInnes singing at Cannes on Friday from the yacht owned by the film’s financier Len Blavatnik, The Deb’s Instagram account posted stories with captions critical of MacInnes. Wilson is said to be in control of the account for the movie that does not have a release plan in light of the project’s legal battle.

“Charlotte MacInnes in a culturally inappropriate Indian outfit on Len Blavatnik’s luxury yacht in Cannes — ironically singing a song from a movie that will never get released because of her lies and support for the people blocking the film’s release,” read one caption. A follow-up post included the message, “So glad you got your record deal Charlotte at the...

It was a typical scene in Cannes. On May 16, about 50 people converged on billionaire Len Blavatnik’s luxury liner dubbed Odessa II to celebrate his three films premiering at the festival including the provocative Joaquin Phoenix drama “Eddington.” The guest list included industry heavy hitters like “Pulp Fiction” producer Lawrence Bender and Access Entertainment president Danny Cohen. As revelers sipped rosé and sampled the luncheon buffet, singer-actress Charlotte MacInnes performed a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.”

Within hours, Rebel Wilson began posting from the official Instagram account of her upcoming film “The Deb.” “Charlotte MacInnes in a culturally inappropriate Indian outfit on Len Blavatnik’s luxury yacht in Cannes — ironically singing a song from a movie that will never get released because of her lies and support for the people blocking the film’s release,” Wilson wrote. “So glad you got your record deal Charlotte at the...

Pitch Perfect fans might still hold onto the hope that a fourth film gets made, but in the absence of updates, Rebel Wilson's next comedy might help to fill the void. The actress is reuniting with fellow Barden Bella Anna Camp in Bride Hard, playing Sam, a special agent whose latest mission is to be a bridesmaid at her best friend's luxurious destination wedding. Although blending in isn't particularly her forte, the protagonist will be challenged to not blow her cover when the celebration is hijacked by a team of mercenaries, who threaten to ruin the big day with their machine guns and bazookas. Filled with action and Wilson's comedic flare, the upcoming film will arrive in theaters just in time for wedding season.

This isn't the first time that the Pitch Perfect alum has starred in a bridal-themed project. Many might recall her role in Paul Feig's Bridesmaids,...

Rebel Wilson is making her action debut with genre-bending comedy “Bride Hard.”

The “Bridesmaids” alum reunites with her former “Pitch Perfect” co-star Anna Camp — who plays the bride of the title — for the feature directed by “Con Air” helmer Simon West. Wilson plays a secret agent whose work gets in the way of her personal life during the weekend she’s the maid of honor at a destination wedding. Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Gigi Zumbado, Stephen Dorff, and Justin Hartley also star.

The official synopsis reads: “For badass secret agent Sam (Rebel Wilson), blending in has never been part of the mission — until she’s maid of honor at her best friend’s extravagant destination wedding. Out of her element and surrounded by high-maintenance bridesmaids and a strict ‘no weapons’ policy, Sam is determined to prove she can be there for her friend — even if emotional support isn’t exactly her specialty.

Rebel Wilson has sung, danced, and made viewers laugh through films like Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, and now, she's royally dressed to kill. Collider can share an exclusive first look at the multi-talented actress in Juliet & Romeo, a new take on the classic Shakespeare romance that gives it a musical update like never before with a revamped pop soundtrack. The award-winning Wilson plays Lady Capulet, who appears confident and stunning in a flowing red dress complete with a golden headpiece that helps her stand out even in a sophisticated ballroom. Along with the other image, it's a showcase of the glamorous costumes and settings within writer-director Timothy Scott Bogart’s vision of Verona.

Rather than adapting the story of Romeo & Juliet as told by Shakespeare, Juliet & Romeo is directly based on the 1301 story that inspired the legendary tragedy. It's meant to kick off a trilogy of musical...

Exclusive: Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect multihyphenate Rebel Wilson has inked with the United Talent Agency for representation.

The news comes in the wake of Wilson making her feature directorial debut, the musical, The Deb, at TIFF which garnered 80% fresh with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The Deb, which Wilson also produced and provided additional writing, follows two teenage girls who attend a debutante ball in a small country town.

Other big movies from Wilson include Jojo Rabbit, Hustle, and Isn’t It Romantic. With films that have totaled nearly $3 billion at the global box office, Wilson is arguably Australia’s biggest female comedy export.

Wilson starred in the Netflix comedy Senior Year, which was the streamer’s 9th most watched film of 2022, as well as the most watched film among female-led originals. Eighty-nine million Netflix accounts globally streamed the film its first ten days of release, outperforming all male-driven comedies on the platform that year.

Rebel Wilson’s latest film ‘Bride Hard’ is set to hit cinemas this summer.Billed as a high-octane twist on the traditional wedding comedy, the action-packed film, in which Rebel stars as a secret agent forced to battle mercenaries at a lavish destination wedding, will be released nationwide on 20 June, Magenta Light Studios has confirmed.Directed by Simon West, 62, best known for ‘The Expendables 2’ and ‘Con Air’, the film sees Wilson, 44, reunite with her ‘Pitch Perfect’ co-star Anna Camp, 41. The ensemble cast includes Anna Chlumsky, 43, known for ‘Inventing Anna’ and ‘Veep’, Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, 37, from ‘The Holdovers’, Gigi Zumbado, Stephen Dorff, 50, of ‘True Detective’ and ‘The Righteous Gemstones’, and Justin Hartley, 47, from ‘Tracker’ and ‘This Is Us’.Rebel plays Sam, a highly skilled secret agent who faces her toughest mission yet – serving as maid of honour for her best friend, played by Anna Camp. The celebrations take...

Rebel Wilson makes her directorial debut with “The Deb,” a riotous Australian musical that flips the classic coming-of-age story. Adapted from Hannah Reilly’s stage musical, the film features Wilson’s signature humorous approach while examining the tensions between metropolitan sophistication and country simplicity. This effervescent comedy-musical follows two cousins as they navigate the world of a small-town debutante ball, combining cutting social commentary and captivating musical numbers.

Set in the dusty Australian outback town of Dunburn, the film follows Maeve, a provocative city girl who enjoys performative activism, and her cousin Taylah, a small-town dreamer who is enamored with the local debutante ritual. When Maeve is exiled from her exclusive school due to a botched protest, she is thrown into rural life and rapidly becomes involved in the town’s 100th-anniversary debutante ball.

Wilson’s directorial debut promises a wild ride that’s equal parts social critique and musical celebration.

The Los Angeles superior court rejected the actor’s claim that she couldn’t be sued by the producers of her film The Deb

Rebel Wilson’s lawyers say they will appeal a California court’s decision that cleared the way for the Australian actor to be sued for defamation, in a claim that could run into millions of dollars.

On Sunday, Wilson’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement that an immediate appeal would be lodged against a Los Angeles superior court decision that was handed down on Saturday morning Aedt.

The defamation lawsuit against Rebel Wilson over claims she made about producers of her directorial debut The Deb survived a key hurdle this week after a judge denied Wilson’s motion to toss the case.

The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden sued Wilson back in July, days after the actress posted a video on social media accusing them of embezzlement and sexual harassment. She further claimed that the producers were trying to sabotage the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In their suit,...

Rebel Wilson has lost a bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by three producers behind her directorial debut, The Deb, who said they were falsely accused by the actress of sexual harassment and embezzlement.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Long ruled that the lawsuit will move forward, finding that Wilson can’t take advantage of a California statute allowing for the early dismissal of cases intended to chill free speech. The actresses’ “statements are not protected activities” and were made in the context of a private business dispute, the court concluded in an order issued on Thursday.

In an Instagram video posted in July, Wilson said she reported producers on The Deb last year when she discovered “inappropriate behavior towards the lead actress of the film” and “embezzling funds from the film’s budget.” She accused them of blocking the movie from premiering at the closing spot of...

Rebel Wilson suffered a setback in her legal standoff with the producers of her directorial debut The Deb.

The 44-year-old actress has been facing off with members of the team who worked on the musical since this summer when she accused them of misconduct.

She was sued for defamation and filed a countersuit against them in September.

A hearing took place on Thursday (November 21), and Rebel‘s attempts to get the defamation case thrown out were denied. The results of the hearing will also have an impact on the movie.

Keep reading to find out more…

According to reporting by Deadline, Rebel‘s attempt to have the lawsuit thrown out was denied by LA Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long, who ruled that Rebel‘s statements did not qualify as “protected activities” since they accused the producers of “criminal conduct.”

The producers’ attorney Camille Vasquez shared a statement with the outlet,...

This review was originally published on September 16, 2024 as a part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.

August Wilson, the late acclaimed American playwright, chronicled some of the best stories about African American experiences using deeply humanized and comprehensive storytelling. Some of his notable theater works include Fences and Ma Raineys Black Bottom, both of which have been adapted into film. Denzel Washington, who produced both features, returns for a third Wilson adaptation with The Piano Lesson,which sees a Black family adapt to life in 1936 Pittsburgh following the Great Depression. Directed by Malcolm Washington and featuring a star-studded, talented cast, The Piano Lesson captures the importance of honoring our ancestors through legacy.

The Piano Lesson

In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom pianohe sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate,...

Rebel Wilson’s hopes to squelch The Deb producers’ defamation lawsuit against her have been stymied by a Los Angeles judge.

“Because the Court finds that the statements are not protected activities subject to an anti-slapp motion, the Court does not proceed to the second prong of the analysis for the Plaintiffs’ likelihood of prevailing on the merits,” ruled LA Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long last night, confirming his tentative of earlier on November 21. “Accordingly, the anti-slapp motion is hereby Denied.”

“The fact that defendant’s statements accuse plaintiff of criminal conduct make them defamatory on their face,” he stated.

The ruling comes after a long-ish hearing in downtown LA on Thursday where dueling lawyers for Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden went head-to-head with attorney for the Pitch Perfect star over Wilson’s claims of “vile and disgusting behavior” earlier this year against the producers.

In an Instagram video,...

In documents filed to an LA court, Charlotte MacInnes alleges that she told Wilson no misconduct happened, calling it ‘absurd’

A young Australian actor at the centre of a multimillion-dollar defamation case in the US alleges in documents filed to the Los Angeles superior court that Rebel Wilson made up lies about her and bullied and harassed her on the set of The Deb.

Charlotte MacInnes, who stars in the comedy which premiered at the Toronto international film festival in September, alleged in the documents that Wilson repeated claims that one of the film’s three producers, Amanda Ghost, sexually harassed and abused MacInnes, even after she told Wilson no such behaviour had occurred.

Australian actor in US defamation court fight after claiming on Instagram the producers had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct – claims which they deny as ‘false and malicious’

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The three producers suing Rebel Wilson for defamation have requested a 90-day stay in the Los Angeles superior court to establish the source of an anonymous website that they say accuses one of them of being an “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell”.

Defamation proceedings against Wilson, 44, were launched in July, after the Australian actor made claims to her 11 million Instagram followers that the producers of her film The Deb had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.

Rebel Wilson has filed a motion to strike the “meritless” defamation claims from “The Deb” producers.

The actress/director’s legal documents were filed in Los Angeles on Monday and deny that she published “allegedly defamatory matter,” as suggested by Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden. The filing also stated that the plaintiffs have not been able to prove that anything Wilson has said of the trio is “not substantially true.”

“This motion was filed to ensure that Rebel can use her voice for what she has always done which is advocate for herself and others,” her attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement.

“The Deb” served as Wilson’s first time in the director’s chair. However, that “dream project turned into a nightmare when she discovered that plaintiffs were, among other egregious conduct, embezzling money from ‘The Deb’s’ budget and treating the film’s lead actress inappropriately,...

Rebel Wilson is responding to allegations from the producers of her directorial debut, “The Deb,” after they filed a defamation lawsuit against her. On September 26, Wilson’s legal team filed a countersuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden, along with several production companies involved with the film. In the countersuit…

Source...

Rebel Wilson has filed a new countersuit against the producers of her directorial debut The Deb, which include some of her previous allegations of embezzlement, sabotage, and harassment.

The filing is a response to a defamation suit brought by The Deb’s producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden earlier this summer. They filed their suit after Willson took to social media to accuse them of embezzling funds from the film’s budget and acting inappropriately towards the movie’s lead actress. Wilson also claimed that after she raised these issues privately,...

Update: The Deb star Charlotte MacInnes released a statement responding to Rebel Wilson‘s claims.

“There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023 and am saying this now to draw a line under it,” Charlotte shared in a statement with JustJared.com. “Making false accusations undermines real victims and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”

Original Post: Rebel Wilson is hitting back at the producers of her movie The Deb with a countersuit after they filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

For those who don’t know, Rebel made her directorial debut with the movie and also stars in it as well.

The drama all started after Rebel accused the producers of misconduct, embezzlement, and attempting to block the movie from premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. They...

Almost three months after being sued for defamation by the producers of “The Deb,” Rebel Wilson has filed a countersuit in which she accuses executive producer Vince Holden and producers Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”

“The Deb,” a musical comedy that premiered during the Toronto International Film Festival, is Wilson’s directorial debut; she also wrote and stars in the film.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Wilson says Ghost, Cameron and Holden’s “involvement in the film was marked by a troubling pattern of egregious and illicit behaviors, including theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”

The filing states that when Wilson attempted to report these “despicable” actions, the three producers “resorted” to what is referred to as “the Amanda Ghost strategy: Intimidation and bullying to silence her and evade accountability.”

The lawsuit frequently singles out Ghost in particular, claiming in...

Rebel Wilson is countersuing The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Cameron Gregor and Vince Holden, accusing them of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”

The cross-complaint comes months after Ghost, Gregor and Holden sued Wilson for defamation in July after she initially accused them of sexual harassment and embezzlement in an Instagram video. The producing trio alleged in their lawsuit that Wilson lied in an attempt to release her movie The Deb — which Wilson directors, produced and starred in — at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as secure a writing credit on the film.

Wilson’s new suit alleges that Ghost was sexually harassing the film’s lead actress, Charlotte MacInnes, and “forced MacInnes to live in her Bondi Beach penthouse apartment with her,” where “Ghost took a shower and a bath with MacInnes.” It also claimed that “Ghost was overheard making overtly sexual remarks to MacInnes on set.

Its been clear for months that Rebel Wilson was going to formally hit back against the litigating producers of her film The Deb with a lawsuit of her own, and now she has.

Just more than a week after the musical drama had its world premiere on the closing night of the Toronto Film Festival, Deb director Wilson and her lawyer Bryan Freedman assert in a September 26-filed counter-complaint that the Pitch Perfect star is “determined to fight not only for herself but also for The Deb and for all those who have silently suffered” from producer Amanda Ghost’s “reprehensible actions over the years.”

“At its core are three co-producers — Ghost, Cameron, and Holden — who operated under the delusion that they could act at the expense of others with complete impunity,” says Wilson’s nine-claim breach of contract suit against Ghost and fellow Deb producers Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden.

Rebel Wilson is calling out rising star Charlotte MacInnes, who is the leading actress of Rebel‘s directorial debut movie The Deb.

If you didn’t know, Rebel has been in a bitter lawsuit with the producers of The Deb after she accused them of misconduct and embezzlement. They responded by filing a defamation lawsuit against her.

Rebel also accused the producers of “inappropriate behavior” toward an actress in the movie and it was just revealed that Charlotte was at the center of those claims.

Charlotte spoke out to deny that there was any inappropriate behavior and now Rebel is calling her out, claiming that the actress retracted her accusations to get a new job from the producer.

Keep reading to find out more…

In a statement to Daily Mail, Charlotte said, “There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team...

The Toronto Film Festival kicked off September 5 with a multi-move opening night that included David Gordon Green’s family comedy Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller. It kicked off a slate of world premieres and buzzy movies across 11 days for the 49th edition of one of North America’s biggest film festivals.

Other key titles making their debuts in Toronto included The Luckiest Man in America starring Paul Walter Hauser, the Amy Adams-starring Nightbitch, theater guru Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Path, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot and Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, which won the coveted People’s Choice Award.

Documentaries that made a splash included Elton John: Never Too Late and Paul Anka: His Way.

Click below to read Deadline’s reviews from the ground in Toronto, where the festival wrappred September 15.

The Assessment ‘The Assessment’

Section: Special Presentations

Director: Fleur Fortune

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen,...

The fall film festival season may still be kicking right along, but, with the conclusion of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend, the film landscape for this season (and beyond) has come into clearer focus.

Big questions, however, remain: What films is everyone going to be talking about in one, two, six months? Who won big and might see even more awards glory come their way soon? Who was there? And how can film fans who couldn’t make it north for the lauded festival see the films we’re all buzzing about? We’ve got you covered, as we run through some of our favorite reviews, stories, and interviews from this year’s TIFF.

Which Film Won the People’s Choice Award?

If you’re at all familiar with TIFF and its main award — the TIFF People’s Choice Award — you’re probably well aware...

Theres a song in the Aussie musical The Deb called pretty strong, and thats a fine descriptor for Rebel Wilsons directorial debut. This colorful, exuberant musical about finding glamour in a dusty small town is at times as infectious as its songs, at times as broad as its boldest characters, and at times as dull as the landscape around the town of Dunburn, Australia. Based on the 2022 musical, with songs written by Megan Washington, lyrics by Washington and Hanna Reilly, and the theatrical book by Reilly, this is the story of a very online Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes), attendee at a private girls school and nascent social media starlet. The first to chastise those whose behavior she disputes, or take credit for whatever activism mode she chooses to amplify, she soon takes one too many chances before exposing herself (literally), and thus becoming the cancel pig, demonized and expelled from her cloistered environment.

The Deb had the honor of being the closing film at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and Rebel Wilson's directorial debut left quite an impression. The Australian star, whose film is based on the stage play by Hannah Reilly, leans into her comic roots by bringing to the festival a cheeky, outrageous musical about two teens who come together to participate in a small town's annual debutante ball. The Deb's timing feels fortuitous; it feels like a natural companion to the Mean Girls musical released earlier this year.

The Deb

Director Rebel WilsonWriters Hannah Reilly, Meg Washington, Rebel WilsonCast Ben Turland, Susan Prior, Sheree da Costa, Ioane Saula, Naomi Sequeira, Steph Tisdell, Tara Morice, Shane Jacobson, Hal Cumpston, Rebel WilsonCharacter(s) Razzie, Dimity, Damo, Shell, Lucinda, Janette, Tish, Mitch, Rick, DancerRuntime 121 MinutesGenres Comedy, Musical The Rebel Wilson Musical Comedy Is Entertaining

The film follows queen bee Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes...

Toronto – There have been a number of unexpected news reports about “The Deb,” the feature directorial debut of Rebel Wilson, over the past few months. Wilson has been in a war of words with the producers of the indie production since July. The comedy star posted to her 11 million followers on Instagram to denounce the producers for attempting to stop the movie from being selected as the closing night film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Continue reading ‘The Deb’ Review: Natalie Abbott, Charlotte MacInnes & These Aussie Kids Can Sing [TIFF] at The Playlist.

Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson made her directorial debut with the musical film “The Deb,” which premiered at the closing night of the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday. Wilson both directed and starred in the movie. She explained her passion for musicals developed after watching a stage production as a teenager that helped her through dark times.

“The Deb” tells the story of two cousins from different backgrounds who both seek attention and discover themselves through their rural Australian high school’s upcoming debutante ball. Taylah Simpkins, played by Natalie Abbott, is an outcast who sees the ball as her chance to transform. Meanwhile, her city-dwelling cousin Maeve, played by Charlotte MacInnes, views the traditional event as outdated and looks to challenge social norms.

Inspired by classic Australian movies like “Muriel’s Wedding” and “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” Wilson said she wanted to create a...

Rebel Wilson decided to direct after working on 'Cats'.The 44-year-old actress played Jennyanydots in Tom Hooper's 2019 adaptation of Sir Andew Lloyd Webber's stage musical and she revealed she was encouraged to get behind the camera after disagreeing with the director on some aspects of filming.She told The Hollywood Reporter: "I went up to the director and said, ‘I’m just not sure you’re doing it right,’ and a female producer who’d witnessed the exchange came over to me and said I think you should direct a movie one day."Now Rebel only wants to direct musicals after making her directorial debut with Australian comedy ‘The Deb,' and she has plans to follow it up with another musical movie.She said: "When I was a teenager, it was a pretty dark time, and I got to see a musical at 14 years of age, because my dog auditioned for it.

Pitch Perfect actress Rebel Wilson directed, produced and starred in The Deb, an Australian musical comedy that had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday night.

And Wilson, who was on hand for a post-screening Q&a at Roy Thomson Hall for TIFF’s closing night film, explained why her next directorial efforts will only be musicals. “When I was a teenager, it was a pretty dark time, and I got to see a musical at 14 years of age, because my dog auditioned for it,” she recalled.

The dog didn’t get the gig, but Wilson got hooked on musicals. “I saw these people dancing and singing on stage, they were so colorful and joyful, and that really helped me through my teenage years,” she added.

Wilson said she’s had two offers to direct musicals in the near future. “That’s why, if I’m directing more movies,...

Rebel Wilson is having a triumphant moment at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and she’s celebrating with her daughter Royce!

On Saturday evening (September 14), the Pitch Perfect actress hit the red carpet outside Roy Thomson Hall for the premiere of her directorial debut The Deb in Toronto, Ontario.

She was joined at the event by her fiancee Ramona Agruma, her nearly two-year-old daughter and members of her cast, including the likes of Tara Morice, Costa D’Angelo, Alex Champion De Crespigny, Shane Jacobson, Stevie Jean, Sophea Pennington, Amanda Kour, Michaeljon Slinger and Natalie Abbott. We’ve got photos of all of them in the gallery.

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Here’s the movie’s official synopsis from the TIFF website: “Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is queen bee at her exclusive private school in the city. But when one of her misguided crusades provokes outrage, she gets not only disciplined...

When Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) gets suspended from school after a political demonstration backfires, her mother (Susan Prior), who also happens to be the institution’s principal, sends the Sydney teenager to live with her cousin Taylah (Natalie Abbott) in the Australian outback.

Dunburn, the fictional locale in which Rebel Wilson’s uneven directorial debut The Deb is set, is a small town recovering from a years-long drought and dereliction of duty by national ministries. The local government desperately needs money to maintain their water supply and have resorted, in one of the film’s more humorous gags, to making a viral video to bring attention to their plight. Of course, none of these issues concern Maeve, who arrives in Dunburn already plotting her escape.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Deb chronicles Maeve’s fish-out-of-water adventures in Dunburn. Upon arrival, the cosmopolitan teen loudly rejects the town’s regressive traditions.

Of all the projects Rebel Wilson could have taken on for her directorial debut, there’s much about “The Deb” that makes sense. Based on a largely well-received stage musical, it’s got a sturdy if straightforward premise about the fictional town of Dunburn, Australia with all the many distinct characters that call it home and the outsider protagonist who finds herself part of the community.

There is plenty of room for heartfelt charm, chaotic shenanigans and more biting observations about its culture clash to be explored, though rarely does “The Deb” capitalize on this. It’s a meandering experience defined by the broadest of narrative strokes, cardboard cutout characters and musical numbers that start fun before growing more oddly obligatory in nature.

With all that in mind, while “The Deb” is unlikely ever to be considered one of the great movie musicals, it still has a smattering of playful...

With the goal of making a big-screen Australian musical in the vein of movies like Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert that made such an impression on her growing up, Rebel Wilson has in many ways measured up to the delights that made those films modern classics in The Deb, which just had its world premiere at the closing night of the Toronto Film Festival.

Overshadowed in the past few weeks by a public dispute between Wilson and the film’s producers that nearly derailed this premiere, that kind of negative energy should not cloud what, for much of its two-hour running time, is a toe-tapping, dazzling, fun and young musical entertainment with an exceptional cast in the kind of showcase that makes future stars. Wilson knows exactly what kind of entertainment she wants to serve up here, and for at least the first half...

According to tradition, debutante balls are designed to introduce young ladies to polite society. But in Australian comedy star Rebel Wilson’s rowdy directorial debut, “The Deb,” there isn’t really anything that resembles “polite society.” Wilson’s characters run the gamut from uncouth to in-your-face offensive — none more than the tacky small-town beautician Wilson embodies in a brash, John Waters-esque musical satire, situated where overzealous progressive values meet old-school pageantry at its most patriarchal.

It’s unfortunate that the film’s Toronto Film Festival closing-night premiere is overshadowed by legal disputes between Wilson and three of her producers, since “The Deb” delivers where it counts. The project pokes fun at all parties while rewriting the codes of teenage romance for the 21st century. Right out of the gate, it’s “Hairspray” meets “High School Musical,” as the elaborately choreographed, radio-inappropriate opening number, “Fml,” sets the tone for all that follows.

By Sunday morning US acquisitions activity at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was starting to grind through the gears.

Buyers were understood to be circling Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life Of Chuck and David Gordon Green’s festive festival opener Nutcrackers, while A24 announced at the start of the day its US buy on Brady Corbet’s Venice Silver Lion winner The Brutalist.

The Life Of Chuck stars Tom Hiddleston and is a drama, despite the heavyweight horror credentials of King and Flanagan. It premiered on Friday and played again as a P&i and public screening on Saturday,...

While the just-ended Venice Film Festival exploded out of the gate with two high-profile acquisition annoucements in its first 24 hours for Maria and Queer, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was staying true to form as the first major on-site deals were yet to materialise heading into Sunday.

Anticipated heavyweights like Ron Howard’s Eden, Daniel Minahan’s 1950s drama On Swift Horses, and Anderson .Paak’s K-Pops received their world premieres on Saturday, while Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl first screened on Friday and has sparked admiring talk of a possible awards play for Pamela Anderson’s lead...